


''Questions''

by The_Fiercest_Vulpine



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluffy, just a DATE, they care about each other a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 15:12:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13079586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Fiercest_Vulpine/pseuds/The_Fiercest_Vulpine
Summary: RobRae alert!Also there are topics that some may find a little sensitive or too personable, so be wary.I never mean to upset anybody.Timeline: Raven is starting to embrace emotion, and Robin is roughly a week or so away from taking on his new outfit, so they're going steady.Pre-Terra's return.





	''Questions''

A cloudy day, but not an inherently rainy one.  
Good enough for the Titans, as the entire team was out and about and spending their day in the city.  
They'd been there most of the morning, but noon steadily approached.  
No one really intended to go home any time soon.  
Starfire was learning the culture, as she so enjoyed doing, while Cyborg and Beast Boy led her along.  
The Birds eventually broke off from the group, going their own way.  
Not surprisingly, Robin was the one who suggested going out on such a decent day, but what they didn't know was that he didn't have a great night.  
If they'd known he was plagued by nightmares, it would have been a shock to them that he was in such a good mood.  
The only one who knew was Raven.  
She always knew.  
He was tired, a little stressed out and when he'd lifted his head off the damp pillow that morning, it was heavy and loud inside.  
But he knew he had two choices; he could've either locked himself up in the dark and wallowed in his misery, or go face the people who cared about him and try to salvage the day.  
He chose the latter, and was very grateful that he did.  
Raven was grateful, too, and stayed beside him through every moment.  
Now that they were away, Robin lead Raven off along a path through a park.  
People laughed and children screamed, flying kites and taking advantage of the wind.  
Of course, as usual the heroes were gawked at from a distance by admiring bystanders, and when they thought the Titans weren't looking, some slipped pictures of them.  
They didn't mind, as they'd never minded.

"Honestly I think it's nicer because the sun's not out," Robin said happily.

"I agree.  
Sometimes it's just overbearing."

"Especially if you're wearing all black and then have a heavy, dark robe on with your hood up."

He grinned at her, receiving a snarky smile in return from the sorceress.

"To be fair, in Azarath some people wear way more and don't break a sweat, sun or no sun."

"Is it pretty cool there?"

Raven shrugged.

"I'd say so.  
It's basically early Spring all year round."

"Oh wow, that sounds nice, then.  
Does it rain?"

"Sometimes.  
It doesn't snow, though.  
People born there only get to experience it if they make a small visit to earth in the right place at the right time."

They turned a rounded off corner on the path, entering a walkway into a more wooded area for visitors.  
As the couple strode under the cover of the trees and brush, they felt the air become even cooler.

"I'm guessing not too many natural born...Azarathians?"

"Hmhm, yes," she chuckled.

"Okay, I'm guessing not too many natural born Azarathians come to earth, though."

Raven shook her head.

"No, not really.  
Usually the only ones who come to earth are the leader's disciples."

"They come looking for people who need saving, right?"

"Essentially, though there tends to be a particular crowd they opt for."

As they walked and talked, Raven felt a small burst of warm energy around her left side when Robin took her hand.  
She looked at him, meeting an affectionate smile.  
They usually preferred to keep PDA almost off the table in public -- not due to any sort of shame, but because they were both fairly private people.  
But behind closed doors, they loved to touch on one another and be as close as possible, but holding hands and sitting close was acceptable for them in public.  
Even now that the "honeymoon phase" had lifted off of them, they loved it.  
Raven made a point to walk a little closer when her hand was taken into his, the smile plastered on her face even when she looked away to study the environment.  
Robin knew it was still there.

"Wanna sit down somewhere?  
It looks really nice right here."

"Sure.  
Is there a bench, or?"

They looked around for a moment before Robin spotted one a few feet ahead, in front of a gazebo with an informational plaque to its left.

"There's one."

Hand in hand, they strolled up to the wooden bench and took their places side by side.

"Aw yeah, this is-- PFFT -- EH--"

A little colorful spider, hanging off a self-made thread from a dangling tree branch over Robin's head, happened to swing close to his face.  
He wasn't afraid of spiders, but it startled him, to say the least.  
A few sparks of Raven's energy toppled leaves on the ground when she couldn't resist chuckling at his response.  
He broke their physical contact to lightly try and move away from the spider, not afraid but not wanting to touch it or its web.

"I was about to say 'this is nice,' but I guess we have company," he said with a light laugh.

"Here, I got it."

She reached up a slender hand, nimble, pale fingers touching the thread and severing it so that the spider was hanging from her gentle grasp.  
Robin watched happily as she slowly moved it to the side, laying the spider carefully in the dirt.  
She then pulled her hand back and wiped the spiderweb off onto the bench.

"Have I ever told you how cool I think it is that you're not afraid of snakes or spiders?"

She looked at him and spoke coolly.

"Robin, I'm practically the boogeyman.  
If I was afraid of snakes and spiders, that would be insulting to dark figures everywhere."

"Hahahah!  
Aw I don't mind them, I'm just not...  
I'd rather not...touch them."

"They're not that bad."

"No, but they both bite, and the webs are kinda nasty."

"Well yeah, I mean no one wants to walk face-first through one."

"I did that once.  
Let me tell you, if you wanna learn martial arts really fast, walk through a bunch of spider webs."

"Hhmhm, I'll keep that in mind the next time I want to be a karate master."

"Hah.  
Is there anything you don't like?"

"You're going to have to be more specific."

He leaned his head toward her with a brow raised, silently calling her out on her literacy and sarcasm.  
After a moment of staring at him half-lidded, she finally gave in and smiled, surrendering.

"Parasites."

"Oooh, yeah those are bad..."

"I'm not a big fan of the whole crawling-in-your-flesh thing."

Robin twitched away.

"OH -- kay, change of subject, please!"

Raven gazed at him and chuckled darkly, sticking the tip of her tongue out between both rows of white, even teeth.

"Heh heh heh heh."

"You're the devil."

"And don't you forget it."

Her mischievous grin could've unnerved some, but the lack of true malice within her wasn't lost on Robin.  
He loved it, and loved her over-the-top, ghastly facade.  
He squinted at her through his mask.

"Only you would go so far out of your own way to make someone else squirm."

"Are you sure you're not talking about Beast Boy?"

"Hahahahah!"

Raven adjusted herself in her place, getting more comfortable.

"Okay, so, change of subject."

Though Robin didn't think it would happen while they were out and about, Raven finally pulled her hood down, revealing her entire face and ever-stunning hair.  
She was beautiful either way, but every time she put her hood down it was like a happy little surprise.

"There she is," he said softly.

A warm smile grew on Raven's face.

"I just wanted to say, I think today's been nice.  
I'm glad you had us all go out."

This time, Robin adjusted, and moved a bit closer to her.

"Me too.  
I really didn't know if I was gonna be able to just...get up and deal with anything.  
I really thought about keeping my distance."

"Old habits die hard."

Robin shook his head and looked off, voice trailing.

"I heard that..."

They sat in a brief, peaceful silence amidst the chirps of birds high above them.  
But after not-so-long, Robin looked back at his girlfriend.

"You haven't been staying in your room as much these days, either."

Raven sighed softly.

"Well, when you become so numb inside, you don't really see the point in getting out.  
You don't care about socializing, you don't care if life passes you by.  
Even after Trigon, I still wasn't feeling, I didn't care.  
It's...surreal, how much more colorful everything has become since you and I..."

Robin calmly removed a glove, set it aside, and took Raven's hand again.  
This time, skin to skin, it meant more to them both.  
Her blue-violet orbs rolled over the interlocking fingers, and she locked back.  
An unexplainable yet overly familiar warmth rose through her shoulders and up the back of her neck.  
She got that feeling a lot when he passed his love for her through their skin.  
Black lips couldn't remain thick and un-moving, for once again a small smile thinned them out.  
A soft, heartfelt smile to compliment Robin's brighter one.

"I'm glad you don't stay in your room anymore.  
We always missed you."

He lifted their hands and, still interlocked, placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles.  
When he put it that way, a totally new light felt to be shined on the consequences of her hiding.

"You...missed me?"

"Of course.  
You're our friend, we want you around."

"Hm...  
I'll remember that when everyone gets tired of me."

Though it sounded negative, they both still wore happy expressions.

"I defy anyone who gets tired of you."

"So...my feeling isn't...too much?"

"No."

"And...it's not too different?"

"I don't think of it as different so much as I think of it as us getting to experience more of you, and you get to really grow into yourself.  
I really, really enjoy seeing you like this.  
So long as you're finally happy."

"The happiest I've ever been."

"Good.  
...You make me happy, Raven."

She smiled more.

"I'm glad I make one of us happy."

Robin laughed aloud, and she chuckled softly before honestly answering him.

"You make me happy, too."

When the happy high from that brief conversation wore away, Raven looked down and off, deep thought rolling around in her eyes.  
Robin took notice of it and was patient and poise as always.  
Raven had that look and feel about her a lot since she'd started opening up, and for Robin it was intriguing.  
But unbeknownst to him, Raven wasn't thinking about herself or trying to analyze her surroundings through a different point of view this time.

"So...  
I've been wondering about something lately.  
It's a bit of a sensitive topic, but I figure since it's probably looming in the back of your mind today anyway..."

Robin sat up a little, tilting his head to see her better.

"What is it?"

She looked at him cautiously, appearing almost guilty for saying what she said next.

"It's...about Slade, and...your apprenticeship."

Robin pulled back slightly.

"Oh...  
Okay, what about it?"

A tingling uncertainty fell over them, but Raven could feel that he wasn't upset or disturbed.  
A bird chirped and flew by, landing on a branch a few feet away with a bug dangling out of its mouth.  
For the short time it was there, the pair stared at it absentmindedly while Raven gathered her thoughts, until the bird flew off again.

"I know we've all sort of taken turns asking you things, but this is really...different."

"Okay, that's fine."

She looked at him again.

"You're not uncomfortable?"

"No, Raven really, it's okay."

He smiled again.

"I'm not offended or anything.  
You said it yourself, that talking about it once in a while would be good for me."

She gazed at him almost blankly, impressed by his willingness to trust her on the subject before nodding stiffly.

"Yes, and I still believe that.  
For this, though...  
I've always known I could just look into your mind and get the answers myself, but that feels...invasive."

"Oh, well..."

Robin shifted in place a little, a tad nervous at the idea but obviously not objected to it.  
After all, she'd done it before.

"If...I mean -- if you want to, you can."

She shook her head, fixated on him to the point that she was turned more toward him.  
He did the same, sensing more and more the seriousness of what she wanted to ask.

"No.  
I want to do this right."

Robin smiled shyly and shrugged.

"Okay.  
I'm up for it, I can take a few questions," he said confidently.

"All right...  
...How do I start this.  
Um...  
So...  
It's...kind of no secret that Slade was... -- is, odd."

Robin nodded once.

"This is true."

"He's very...stalkerish?  
And...ugh..."

She pulled her head back and sighed aloud while staring up at the sky beyond the treetops.  
Robin just watched her, quiet, curious and a little confused.

"I can't believe how stupid this sounds," she said flatly.  
"Okay, listen."

They both adjusted once more, facing each other while still holding hands.  
Robin was ready, to the point that he was almost smiling from anticipation because one, Raven was being adorable and two, nerves had a way of doing that to people.

"I want you to know that this question is terrible, and I'm only asking it because I...care about you..."

Robin chuckled in a giddy manner and gently poked her cheek with his free hand.

"Awww, you're so corny."

Raven glared at him, half-lidded while a semi-irritable smirk tugged on the corner of her mouth.

"...I'm going to let that slide."

"Heheheheh...  
Okay, okay I'm all serious now.  
I know you care, I appreciate that."

"Good.  
So...  
With him having pursued Terra the way he did, and the whole ripping my clothes off thing..."

"Yeah I'm still pretty salty about that one," he remarked with mildly curled lip.

"Meee too.  
Um...so, yeah and then he stalked you, basically, and the whole way he went about taking you as his apprentice seemed...not right..."

Robin tread carefully.

"What are you trying to say...?"

They looked at each other for a quiet few seconds, Raven's eyes flickering over his face almost shyly.  
She stroked his bare hand with her thumb absentmindedly, already trying to offer some sort of comfort, whether or not he needed it.  
She lowered her voice.

"Please by honest with me..."

"Okay..."

"Did he...try anything...inappropriate with you...?"

Raven was admittedly surprised by the quietness that followed.  
Robin remained, for the time being, completely unreadable.  
The upper edge of his mask suggested slightly raised eyebrows, but he didn't jump or stir or anything.  
He simply sat back stiffly, looked at her, looked at the bench thoughtfully, and then back at her.  
Even the tone in his voice was unreadable -- his energy bore no trace of anything to be read.

"Raven, are you..."

He quickly looked around to make sure no one could hear them, then moved in so close beside her that their hands were resting right on their thighs.  
His voice lowered to almost a whisper.

"Are you asking if...Slade...touched me...?"

She held his hand a little tighter and just barely nodded, not taking her eyes off him.  
She soon began to feel his energy build up, but she had no idea where it would bubble to.  
In all honesty, she really believed his answer could go either way, and she thought she was prepared to deal with it, even if it was 'yes.'  
She worried for him, she hurt for him, but again she had no clue what was going on in his head.  
For the moment, Robin had the same semi-concerned expression he'd worn while asking his confirmation question, with a slightly opened mouth.  
Raven waited a moment or two longer before speaking up.

"Robin, I--"

"HHHHAAA HA HA HA--"

His sudden outburst nearly made her jump out of her skin.  
Holding a free hand to his belly, Robin leaned back so as not to laugh directly in her face, but the weight of it was too much to keep in.  
Raven just stared at him with wide, startled and somewhat worried eyes.  
What about that question was funny?  
Or worse yet, was she right, and he was having some sort of meltdown because the trauma was too much?  
Did she break him???

"Uhhh..."

It was a belly laugh in its purest form, the kind that makes a person get to tears almost instantly.  
The pressure was so overwhelming Robin stamped his foot in the dirt a few times because there was no other outlet for it.  
As if laughing wasn't enough, though.  
Raven carefully let go of his hand, enabling him to lean away, holding his stomach with both hands now.  
To be specific, this went on for a solid 45 seconds; Robin laughing hard enough to spark a deadly cardiovascular event, while Raven watched blankly with deep concern.  
She looked around a few times to see if anyone was around.  
Thank God there wasn't, but she could swear all the small wildlife in the vicinity had either hidden, flown off or run away, terrorized by the boisterous sound.  
Over the course of those 45 seconds Robin calmed down a little, but he was still highly amused and barely able to talk.

"Ummm...what about that was funny?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"IT WASAAAN'T!"

Robin's voice had risen roughly an octave, since laughter had a way of making talking a challenge.

"I-I'm deeply concerned..."

"NO--"

Wheezing but visibly trying to get a hold of himself, the hysterical Titans' leader laid both hands on the girl's shoulders gently, holding onto her and trying to reach out.  
Still nervous, Raven nervously reached up and held his arms.

"No-ho, don't be concerned!!!  
I'm fiiine!"

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, silent laughter squeezing all the air out of his lungs.  
He pulled a hand away to fan himself limply.

"I'm -- I'm crying!!"

"I guess..."

Her response only made him wheeze more, but following that he balled that free hand into a fist and coughed into it.

"Oh God, my throat -- uUuaah, ohh that felt good, ahahahah!"

He reached back for the glove he'd removed earlier and, coming down from the grand excitement, slipped it back on.  
He continued to laugh very lightly, smiling brighter than the sun itself.

"AAaahhh, thank you for that!  
Oh man, that was -- so good, hahahah!"

"I am...still unsure what's funny..."

Robin reached up to her again, gently holding her face.

"I know, I know I'm s-- ehah -- I'm so sorry!  
I'm sooo sorry, I didn't mean to just laugh in your face!"

He slid his hands back down to her shoulders, keeping his gaze on hers.  
It was evident that Raven was still deeply confused and concerned, but now that he was calming down she found herself to be more and more curious.  
It showed when her eyes finally lessened in wideness.

"First of all, I just wanna thank you for asking me that, hah hah.  
It's a good question, and ah, the answer is no, that didn't happen."

Raven nodded, relief washing over her, and Robin could feel it.

"Good."

"If - if it had, I would've told you by now."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Though he wasn't laughing anymore, his aura was aglow from it.  
Obviously it was something he truly needed, and he still smiled brightly.  
Raven didn't mind.

"Okay...  
So..."

Robin pulled his hands off her shoulders and chuckled while pressing his mask against his eyes gently, trying to soak up the tears with the fabric.  
It worked a little, but he was okay with the fact that he couldn't soak it all up.  
When he was finished, he looked back at Raven.

"I guess I laugh because...I really didn't...expect that question?  
Hah haahah!  
I mean I didn't know what I thought you were gonna ask, but it just caught me off guard."

"Ah.  
Fair, but damn..."

"I know, I know it was unnecessary," he said still all too happily.  
"But um...  
No, I think the other part of why it's funny is because when I was in the warehouse, I -- HHH -- I worried about that happening!"

"You did?"

Raven tilted her head a little.

"Yeah!  
I mean you're not wrong, he's --"

He brought his voice back down again.

"He's kinda rapey...!  
KGHM."

His next few words, though serious, were slightly shaken between chesty, suppressed giggles.  
Raven almost smiled herself now that she was relaxed, but she was more focused on what Robin had to say.  
She didn't mind that he laughed, but she wanted to make sure he was all right.

"A couple nights, I slept with my backside to the wall!  
I mean the stalking, getting the right size for my suit, the cameras, just -- I mean just the way he talked to me, it was super weird.  
He made it sound more like he was trying to adopt me, but...  
I don't know if the guy is like that or what, I mean maybe I wasn't with him long enough for him to make a move?  
Or maybe he's just creepy on purpose, or -- I don't know!  
He was weird with Terra, and to this day we don't know WHAT happened there, and then you...  
Geeeeze..."

He pulled a hand up and rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head.  
As funny as it had been a minute ago, it was still a serious question that all of them most likely had.  
Robin actually had debated bringing it up several times since his apprenticeship, but kept it to himself for fear of sounding like a weirdo or an idiot.  
And now, he knew everyone, or at least Raven, was on the same page as him.  
It was comforting.  
Still, he was left to wonder about Slade's intentions, and orientation.

"Again, I'm -- I'm really sorry."

Raven smiled a little, finding him too cute to be unhappy with over laughing.

"Don't be.  
Apparently you needed that."

"I really think I did!  
Hopefully I can make you laugh that hard someday," he said before gently nudging her.

God Almighty, why did he have to be so adorable?  
It was maddening!

"Why, so you can be blamed for my powers splitting the earth in half?"

"Ha!  
Raven, to hear you cut loose and just laugh your ass off, I think would be worth seeing the world split in half for."

She shook her head, but never stopped grinning.

"Aw...  
I really do appreciate you asking though, that was sweet.  
How long have you been wondering about that?

Raven appeared to shrink a little, becoming sheepish and even gritting her teeth at the end of her next sentence.

"Ummm...  
Since...you came home...?"

Robin quickly craned his head closer in shock.

"You mean, since I came home from being stuck with him???"

"Yeah..."

"Oh my God!"

"WELL!"

"HHAHHAHAH, Raven!"

"I would've just asked, but to be honest you probably wouldn't have taken it as well at the time!"

"I - that's...true.  
Even though it didn't happen, the question would've freaked me out a little, hah...  
...Raven--"

"Just freaking hug me."

Laughing yet again, albeit softly, he wrapped his arms around her, both short bodies meeting in a warm embrace.  
The longer they were together, the more and more he wanted to thank her with all of his being when she helped him or simply showed him that she was there.  
Yes, he did laugh explosively at what was a very sensitive question, but the more Raven thought about it, the more she thought that was probably a good sign.  
He'd taken what could've been a bad day and turned it into a good one, and it was made all the more better thanks to Raven.  
He'd never be able to thank her enough.

"Thanks for not judging me for laughing like a steroid-infused dolphin."

That time she laughed, though softly.  
Her black energy swirled around them on the bench, drawing up leave and dust in a smooth, whimsical sight.

"Hahahahah...!  
That is what it sounded like.  
You remind me of a dolphin sometimes."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm.  
Talkative, energetic, smart, cute, solid in spite of your size, good at teamwork...  
Thankfully, that's where that cuts off."

"HUH yeah, dolphins are kind of...  
They're special."

Chuckling together, they gently pulled apart, but not without Robin kissing her on the cheek first.  
She blushed, of course, but who wouldn't after receiving a kiss from the infamous Dick Grayson, even if it was just on the cheek.

"Angel doofus..."

"And I'm your doofus."

After so long remaining seated and chatting about miscellaneous things, they decided to get up and finish their small nature walk along the path.  
When that was done, they would reunite with the others and continue their endless frolic in the city...until Dr. Light would later attack, only to be scared senseless by the Dark Mistress and sent back to jail.  
As if the day could get any better!  
And, yet later on down the road, Robin would soon learn that everyone really was on the same page as him.  
It was funny and all, but they had a lot of learning to do.

 

 

\--The End--


End file.
